Spring 2019 Letter from the President of the Undergraduate Chapter Dear Fijis, Our fraternity experienced another successful semester as we continue to strengthen our brotherhood and establish a positive presence on campus. The Pi class was initiated this semester with 26 members, one of the largest classes on our campus and our largest in recent years. We continue to be one of the largest fraternities at Penn, and next semester we look forward to filling the chapter house to maximum capacity. The Nu class recently graduated at the end of May and will be pursuing various careers and educational paths. Our chapter thrived academically and received an average GPA of 3.52 which exceeded both the average all-fraternity and all-undergraduate student GPAs. The majority of the Pi class qualified for the Academic Achievement Award, which Fiji Nationals rewards to new members who perform exceptionally well academically. We were awarded the Gold Award for Chapter Performance for the past calendar year, which highlights our efforts to make a positive impact on our campus and community. We continued to work with groups such as Penn Best Buddies to provide enjoyable experiences in our chapter house as well as philanthropy events such as The Final Rose in which we worked with Alpha Phi to raise money for women’s heart health. Our chapter was happy to welcome many graduate brothers into our chapter house in April for Pig Dinner. We were grateful to have over 100 brothers, past and present, in attendance to take part in the tradition. The following weekend, we were also able to host a cocktail hour for Herky Rubincam (class of 1960) and his induction into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame. Several of our current brothers had the opportunity to meet many of the graduate brothers and enjoyed their presence in our chapter house. We look forward to another great semester when we return to campus in August, and I hope everyone has an enjoyable summer. Best, Matthew Gilbertson mbgilbertson5@gmail.com \r\nLetter from the Graduate Chapter President As the 2019 class graduates Penn, I am very happy for the state of the fraternity. The undergraduate representation is near all time highs. The demand to live in the house next year is at a record level. The fraternity GPA is higher than the University wide GPA. The house itself is in really fine shape and the new kitchen has been a boon to brotherhood meals. The total project cost for the kitchen was $412,000 which came in under budget. Through a combination of generous support from our alumni and capital reserves that had been established, we are still $30,000 short of what’s required by the University to meet our end of June commitment. We are asking all alumni to help finish the campaign - now. THIS IS OUR LAST ASK: A Plaque will be prominently displayed in the house with names and gift levels below: A onetime tax-deductible contribution made payable to the “Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania” and mailed to our treasurer: Gary Giegerich, 512 East Gravers Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038. In the memo section write our gift account name and number: Phi Gamma Delta #60177 Thank you, Terry 2019 Frank Norris Pig Dinner Thank you to all who came to this year's pig dinner. We were honored to have Gary Giegerich as our pig dinner speaker, who shared valuable career and life wisdom. We are also grateful to the over 30 Graduate Brothers who attended the dinner. These annuals dinner strive to be an embodiment of the creed "not for college days alone" and this year's was certainly no exception. We hope you all can attend next spring's Pig Dinner and this fall's homecoming as well. \r\nPHI GAMMA DELTA The University of Pennsylvania Chapter New Members Aden Goldberg Oakland, CA John Woodward Richmond, VA Musie Girmay Las Vegas, N Akhi Khakhar New York City, NY Carlos Muniz San Juan, PR Eli Moraru William Marsh (III) Parth Daga Trevor Mele Philadelphia, PA Pittsburgh, PA Overland Park, ftS Seattle, WA Seungkwon Son Allentown, PA Ketan Mandava Denver, CO William Leimberger Abel Elias Dane Greisiger Richmond, VA Wylie, TX Bryn Mawr, PA Jacob Bendell Wichita, ftS Miguel Heras Panama City, Panama Harris Wilson Dallas, TX Andrew Garrett Kenneth Schumacher Skylar Scafidi Raphael Noufele Philadelphia, PA Bloomfield Hills, MI Philadelphia, PA New York, NY Adam Liang Atlanta, GA Nikhil Gangoli Malvern, PA Nicholas Kiser Wilmette, IL \r\nIn Memoriam We were informed Stan Wilkins ’59 passed away in October 2018. David Hynes FIJI Remembrance Brothers, David Hynes (‘09) died on March 2nd after being struck by a drunk driver while riding a bike in New Orleans. Dave was a Founding Father and the first Treasurer of the Beta Colony. He played an integral role both in establishing the Colony’s culture and in ensuring that it survived long enough to be rechartered as the Beta Chap- ter. We would not have succeeded without his spirit, effort, wisdom, and creativity. We have chosen to honor our beloved friend here by sharing stories and impressions of his life and character. Jesse Chen, ‘09 As a founding member of the Beta Chapter, David embodied the spirit of brotherhood from the beginning. We had less than a year to make Fiji into a self-sustaining legacy, and David was the guy who made it a goal to be lifelong friends with each member of the fraternity. In the decade that passed since we brought Fiji back to Penn, David's genuine desire to maintain his friendships was the glue that kept us all bonded, and for that we will be forever grateful. With that said, David was one bold, determined son of a bitch. He had a PennRec area rug in his room that everyone thought might cost several hundreds of dollars from the book store. Few people know that he walked into Pottruck gym in broad daylight, rolled up that area rug, and walked right out. That unheeded confidence to get what he wanted is what got him more phone numbers, promotions, and close friends than anyone I know. The number of people that truly loved David is a testament to the spirit of brotherhood that not only extended to members of our fraternity, but to everyone he touched. David's legacy is a reminder that our interpersonal relationships are, at the end of the day, the most important treasure any of us have. Friendship, love, and brotherhood are two-way streets, and if each of us could be more like David, we would all be a whole lot richer. Elliot Woods, ‘09 What I remember when I think about Dave is laughing. His laughter and my laughter. He always wanted people to be laughing, even if that meant he needed to be the brunt of a joke—he would make that sacrifice, because he wanted everyone to be having a good time. Likewise, he was always sharing with his friends his latest discoveries: be it a funny video or the latest life-hack to better enjoy life! He was a man who loved life. And we loved him for it. I will miss him dearly. Perge my brother. Therlow Huntley II, ‘11 Charismatic, spontaneous, loyal … These are the words that I would use to describe David. During the earlier days of FIJI, him and Jesse were the big brothers that I never had growing up. From the time that we first met, I was never a stranger. I was a brother. I will always remember David as the guy that made sure we were all having a great time. He had a infectious caring spirit, and he will truly be missed. \r\nCameron Anglum, ‘09 As for most who knew him well, David played an enormously positive role in my life. He undoubtedly was the the most selfless, fun-loving, and genuine person we all shared in common, one we'll all deeply miss. Although it’s difficult to imagine the pain of his passing subsiding, it’s my hope that my fond memories of our time together will continue to remind me to approach life as he did - to pursue joy and love above all else and never to take things more seriously than they should be taken. Michael Reiche ‘10 I remember meeting Dave during a rush dinner at a restaurant kind of far from campus in west philly. We both ordered the alligator. He had had it before; it was my first time. Not just because of that, but also because of his claim to having perfected the art of winning online lottery games (in the style of “fill this form out to win an iPhone”), Dave came across as worldly, in an inviting sort of way. Humble, sociable, approachable, kind. Dave visited my home town, Athens, for an extended stay to learn more about the Greek financial crisis. I’m grateful for the discussions we had and his genuine inquisitiveness. A sharp mind with a golden, albeit mischievous heart, he made time go by a little faster. The gap he leaves behind I will strive to fill by honoring his memory in ways practical (drive consciously) and selfreflective (be a supportive friend, like he was). Jonathon Strauss ‘09 One of the greatest challenges we faced after being recruited to join the Beta Colony was to make it fun and attractive to new recruits while also following the rules. It was in all honesty an impossible task, made more compli- cated and fraught by knowledge of the debt owed to those who had invested the energy, time, and capital to bring the chapter back. Nobody knew how to strike that balance, how to make our own code and follow it, better than Dave. He was one of the sharpest, kindest, wiliest people I’ve ever known. And as a 19-year-old transfer student leading a chapter full of people two or three years older than myself, I desperately needed his guidance. He gave it without ever making me feel less-than. I will never forget it. Dave loved to have fun with his friends and yet he was extremely savvy and disciplined when it came to the reputation and legacy of what we were building. When I agreed unilaterally to hosting a social event with a sorority, Dave expressed such severe disappointment in me I felt like a kid who’d been caught breaking into his parents’ liquor cabinet. In the moment and in the years that have followed, I was grateful that he gave a damn and that he held me accountable. He knew we had to give the chapter what it needed, not what it wanted, if we were to survive. From what I knew of him at the time, his forward-thinking knocked me sideways. It stood in total contrast to the persona he had cultivated socially. But that was Dave. What a beautiful, brilliant mix of qualities he had. There was no one more confident in this group when we started, no one more excited when we earned our charter and reclaimed 3619, and no one more proud of what we have all communally built together in the years since. We should all be proud of the man Dave was and grateful for the memories we got to share with him before he was taken from us.